Search
by Eviljoey
Summary: The search for Hook has been deferred for a week. After all, some of the living never got closure. Rating may change.


Relief. That's what she felt when she first set eyes on her mother. Relief. But soon after came the dread, the pained memories of mistreatment and abuse and so she hated herself. She hated that he wanted nothing more than to run over and hug the woman she should want nothing to do with. Cora must've seen her hesitance, her uncertainty with the situation. So the older woman quietly decided to let Regina take charge. Emma looked from a distance, taking a small break to see the mother and daughter reunite. She was almost annoyed with the way the women took small steps towards one another. They stopped when they were a yard or so apart.

"Your hair is longer." Cora said. "It looks nice."

"Thank you." Regina swallowed. "Mother."

Cora made a movement, as if to touch her arm but decided against it and dropped her hand to her side again. "Can we talk?"

Regina nodded, without thought. "Where?"

"Follow me."

They walked through the mirror image of Storybrooke and soon Regina realized where they were going. Cora took the same shortcut she used to take, she smiled at the people who got near enough. They didn't smile back. Most of them crossed the road when they realized who the person wearing the sensible pants-suit was.

"Still installing fear, I see." Regina sneered.

Cora stopped for a moment and turned around. "T'is not me they fear, my darling. Only a handful of my victims here, and I've made peace with them." And she was right. All of them looked at Regina, looked at her with hatred and despise. Sometimes she thought one of them was brave enough to make their way over and give her a piece of their minds but then, as though they realized something, they just didn't. When they reached the building Regina loved, the people near it moved away. Inside it looked different, but also the same. Her office had gotten a bit of a makeover, seeing as there were more hints of red. The painting of dragon flies she liked had been replaced with one of red roses with morning dew. There were more flowers in general and her apples were gone. Cora sat down on the couch, which now carried multiple pillows in various shades of red.

"What do you think?"

"Lovely." Regina said without emotion.

Cora motioned to the couch. "Come. Sit down." And so Regina did. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Regina replied. "So much has happened."

"Hm yes, I'm aware." Cora smiled. "I ran into Hook a while ago. He needed to find his brother and Hades wouldn't tell him. So we made a bit of a deal, information for information. He told me all about you. About Henry. And Robin. I understand that you're a stepmother."

Regina nodded and smiled proudly. "Roland is so beautiful, such a goodhearted child. And then I suppose I'm the stepmother of my own niece."

"My granddaughter." Cora said. "Does she have a name yet?"

Regina picked up her phone and held up a picture of the girl. "We haven't decided yet. Robin has mentioned he likes 'Mary' for a girl but he feels guilty because its to honor his late wife and he thinks I dislike it. I don't. Otherwise he's really fond of the 'R'-trend we have, so if it isn't 'Mary', it'll probably be something with an 'R'. Robin has suggested 'Raven' but to me that just screams villain."

Cora chuckled. "I'm sure whatever name you pick out will fit her just right. She's absolutely stunning." She sighed. "But now, something a bit less fun. Leopold is here."

* * *

 _"And I thought we were done with with all this nonsense." Cora said with a tired smile._

 _Regina mentally groaned at another failed escape attempt. "Hello mother. What evil have you conjured?"_

 _Cora chuckled. "No evil, darling. It's a barrier-spell." She opened the book to the right page and blew to release her daughter. Regina fell to the ground with a loud thud. She didn't get up straight away, probably in order to asses her injuries. When she came to the conclusion that she was relatively unharmed she slowly got up and turned around, just in time to see her mother smile at her in that cruel way she does. "Designed to keep you where you belong."_

 _"I can't leave?" She bit._

 _"Not alone." Her mother explained. "Not without the king." She stepped closer. "We've been through this. In two days, you'll be married, you'll be queen. After that, you're free to go, when you're with him."_

 _Her eyes turned from anger to dispair. "Mama, I don't want to marry the king." She tried one last time. I don't want this life."_

 _Cora shushed her. "You're just frightened of all that power."_

 _"I don't want power." She exhaled. "I want to be free." For a moment it was silent. For a moment, she thought maybe Cora had changed her mind. But it was only for a moment, because Regina knew nothing would change her mother's mind._

 _"Power is freedom." Cora said sternly. "Don't worry. I'm here to show you." She wrapped her arm around her daughters' shoulders._

* * *

"When he died, I could leave the castle-grounds, the spells were lifted." Regina said.

Cora nodded. "Yes, but here, they are still very much in effect."

"So I'm stuck here?"

"I'm not sure about that one, I cast one on the castle and a different one on Leopold. So there's a chance you may have to take him with you, should you ever want to leave the underworld. But that's not what I would worry about. There is a very clear 'out' on the barrier-spell because it doesn't want it's recipient to be bound to a dead and buried body for the rest of their lives."

Regina pinched her nose. "The spell of Docility."

* * *

 _As they walked back to the castle, Cora flipped a couple of pages. "Now, we must ensure you're queen until the day he dies. So I enacted two other spells. I know that behind that doe-eyed facade of yours, you have my temper. Over the years, that'll probably get worse, with your true love being dead and all." Regina's eyes fired a hateful look towards her mother. "Ah, there we go. So to ensure you don't 'accidentally' kill the king in one of your temper tantrums and get decapitated for committing regicide, I placed a spell of no Wrongdoings onto you. Which basically means you cannot harm, both physically and mentally, or kill any of royal blood until Leopold's death."_

 _"I wouldn't kill him, I'm not like you."_

 _Cora clucked. "We'll see." She flipped another page. "I also enacted the spell of Docility. I do not want you killed for treachery towards the crown. When Leopold wants you to do something, he only has to think of it. It has its limits of course. He can't command you to die or kill."_

 _"So you're basically making me his slave." Regina concluded._

 _"The king is old, Regina. A couple of years at the most. You'll bear him a son and your claim to the throne is sealed."_

 _Regina stopped walking. "I'll bear him nothing!"_

 _Cora chuckled again. "We'll see."_

* * *

"Because, usually, people don't suddenly become alive again, it just assumes that once the person giving the orders is dead, no more orders can come."

"He's going to be my master. Again." She bit. "I still can't believe you did that to me. That you're still doing it to me..."

Cora grabbed her daughter's hands. "Regina. I'm sorry, I really am. There's no excuse for the horrors I put you through..."

Regina tore herself from Cora's grip. "No. There isn't." She got up and walked out of the office, knowing her mother wouldn't follow. Her angry steps soon became long strives so she would reach the rest quicker. She was close to the town square when she realized she had magic. She poofed herself to the library, where she's last been with the group but wasn't surprised to discover it utterly deserted. Figuring they were looking for Hook, she made a quick appearance at the docks but alas, they weren't there either. She tried the loft, her mansion, even Gold's shop but no luck. She then decided to try Hades, even though he'd been awfully unforthcoming towards them.

"Regina." He said with a flair in his voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Henry, Robin, the idiots, Gold and Emma. Where can I find them?"

Hades seemed to ponder her for a while. "You have send many a soul my way, Darling."

"Indeed, dear. Now help me." Regina growled. "Have they found Hook yet?"

"No." He said, with lips pursed. "And it'll be a while. Many of my subjects prefer the Enchanted Forrest part of the Underworld. Hook is there, with his brother. That's all the hint I'll give you. Your family however, one odd combination of people, may I add, they've gone to Granny's to make a plan."

Regina raised her brows. "You know a lot about what's going on around here."

He shrugged. "I usually don't. Most here can go their way, there's little havoc they can cause. But you are alive. That's unusual. I like to know about everything that's unusual."

She nodded. "Thank you." She said and made movements to depart.

"Regina." He said. "I know you've come to retrieve Killian Jones. There are two things you must be aware of before you try. A soul can only leave if there's another willing to take it's place. And if you die in the Underworld, you die.

She nodded once more before a purple cloud engulfed her. When the cloud parted not a second later, she was standing a couple yards away from Granny's. Through the windows she could see Henry, he had a serious look on his face and it was clear he was very intent on helping, now that the adults finally let him. On his left sat his blonde mother, still hurt with grief. And on his right, his short-haired grandmother, who was four years younger that his mother. Snow noticed her first, smiled and waved.

* * *

 _Snow noticed her first, smiled and waved before she tore herself from the balcony and ran down the staircases, through the main entrance to the gardens and threw herself on Regina._

 _"Oh Regina, I've missed you so!" The girl practically yelled in her ear, before she grabbed Regina's hand and started pulling her away from her mother, something she didn't mind that much, and into the castle and up the stairs. "The seamstress has finally finished your gown and it is so beautiful but I cannot wait to see you in it. I know it'll be even more beautiful Regina, because you are so beautiful. The seamstress said my dress will be ready soon too. I've peeked a bit and it's going to be the most beautiful dress I'll ever wear. Well, at least until I get married that is. But I can only dream of that day. And..."_

 _Regina softly squeezed Snow's shoulder. "That all sounds lovely, dear Snow, but the walk has dirtied me." She said and motioned to her clothes. "I'd rather bathe first, alright?"_

 _"But Regina, I've waited all day!"_

 _Regina bit her tongue. "I'm sure you can wait an hour more."_

 _"Your baths never take an hour, you stay in the water until it's cold and freezing and even then you don't get out." Snow complained._

 _Behind them someone chucked and when the girls turned they found the king. His eyes were kind, his hair silver-grey and his face revealed age and wisdom. He placed his hand on Regina's shoulder, a gesture he probably found kind and reassuring but made her shiver. "Now, Regina, Snow does have a point."_

 _"Your highness." Regina said and bowed._

 _"No need for my title, Regina." He said. "And no need for curtsies either, when we're not in formal company."_

 _Snow took Regina's hand. "Father, Regina simply must see her dress."_

 _"Snow, I don't want to get dirt on it, look at me."_

 _"You won't, and even if, there are so many people who can clean it right up for you. Just please, come look."_

 _Regina tried to turn her down once more, but Leopold spoke before she could. "Another fair point, sweetheart." He turned to Regina. "You're not going to talk her out of it, she's to determined. Just go look at the dress, it won't take too long, now will it?"_

 _Snow smiled from ear to ear. "No of course not! Come, Regina!"_

 _Regina's feet however were already moving towards the seam-room and it felt horrible she couldn't do anything to stop it._

* * *

When Regina stepped inside the restaurant she was met with Henry's smile. "Hey." She said. "So how's it going?" She sat down next to David. "Any solid plans already?"

"Well," Emma started, "We don't really know where to look for him yet."

"I can help you with that. Apparently, Hades kind of likes me, on account of the many souls I send his way. He said Hook is in the Enchanted Forrest part of the Underworld." Before the other could say something she added; "He also said something else. We can't take Hook, without leaving someone else in his place."

Emma shook her head. "We'll figure something out. Let's focus on finding him first." She exhaled. "Now, ehm, since there is no time limit or something, Mr. Gold has decided he wants to find Milah and apologize or something. Mom and dad want to find their parents and... catch up, I suppose. Robin wants to find Marian, the real Marian, and tell her about Roland. And Henry and I really want to talk to Neal."

Regina nodded. "I see." She clicked her tongue. "I've already spoken to my mother, I suppose I could go apologize to Daddy." She said with almost no enthusiasm.

"You can come with me, if you'd like." Robin said, gently taking her hand in his, causing David to sit awkwardly between them.

Regina shook her head. "Not a good idea. She thought I was going to kill her, remember?"

"I'm going to have to tell her about you either way. Maybe it'll be better if she sees you're not the Evil Queen anymore."

"Just tell her you found love again. Don't go into details."

Robin leaned towards her. "I'm not ashamed of you, nor am I of your past. I'm going to tell her."

If Snow or Emma ever asked her, she'd deny it with a burning passion, but they could both swear they saw her eyes tear up. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" She asked and kissed him. David tried sitting between them with a pokerface but when they kept talking and smiling towards one another, he carefully shoved Regina out of the booth, almost causing the former queen to fall. However, he caught her before she hit the floor and placed her next to Robin. "There."

Snow chuckled.

"So, you're going with Robin then?" Emma asked.

She shook her head. "No. I think it's better if they can talk freely, without me there." She smiled. "I..."

"You want to come with me and Henry?"

She shook her head again and turned her attention towards her son. "You deserve some time with your mom and dad. It's okay." She opened her mouth to add something.

"Then what?"

"Will you just let me finish?!" Regina snapped.

Emma bit her lip. "Sorry."

Regina shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you." She coughed. "What I wanted to say, I'll go with Snow and David. Daniel's grandfather used to live in the same village as David's mother. I think he'll be there."

Snow smiled. "That's a good choice, Regina. And maybe afterwards you can come see father with us."

"Again, not a good idea. I'm the cause of your father's death, Snow, and my mother is the cause of your mother's death. I think me being there will cast a bit of a dark shadow on the whole reunion. It's fine, I'll poof over to Robin when I've said my goodbye's to Daniel."

Before Snow could object, Emma started talking again. "Alright, so here's the plan; Gold goes to Milah. Henry and I go to Neal. Regina, you can transport Robin to Sherwood Forrest right?" When Regina nodded, Emma continued. "Okay, and after that, you three will go to the village dad came from. We'll meet again, say a week from now?"

"At the White Castle?" Snow added.

"Sounds like a plan." Gold said. Not a second later, he was gone.

"Well." Emma said, at a loss for words. "Kid, say goodbye to your mom."

Snow got out of the booth so Henry could get out too. He moved quickly towards his dark-haired mother and even though, at fifteen, he now fancied himself too old for hugs, he wrapped his arms around her anyways. All regina could think of was how his arms used to wrap around her waist. And how they now wrap around hew shoulders. How he's only a couple of inches shorter than her, and that's with her wearing heels. He let go after a moment or two. Even though she still wasn't finished. "I'll see you in a week, okay?"

"Have fun with your dad."

He smiled and said a quick goodbye to the rest before attaching himself to Emma's arm and they disappeared in a cloud of bright smoke.

Regina took Robin's hand. "I'll be back in an hour or so." And with that, they were gone too. They re-appeared on the edge of Sherwood Forrest. A forrest know for being thick and treacherous. Many lives had been lost in the dark woods. There've said to be many species of animals unknown to man living in these woods but nobody dared venture and find one to put their name on, simply because the odds of you disappearing was much to great. Because of the many, high trees and the big leaves they carried, day and night it was dark. There was only one small river flowing through it and it was deep into the forrest. If you would find yourself without water halfway in, it was smarter to turn around because the odds of you finding that river were much too slim. There were snakes and spiders, venomous snakes and spiders. There were said to be lions and bears and all sorts of evil mythical creatures that could kill you with only a look. And yet, for some strange reason, this forrest was a home to one small camp. The Merry Men. Robin had told stories of how they knew exactly where the river was, how they'd cut down trees deep into the woods and made an open space. And how they'd used those trees to built a wall around the camp, and that because the camp grew every year, the wall grew too. He'd even told stories about how they'd made peace with the animals inhabiting the woods. When they got there, Robin took a deep breath. "Home."

"Looks lovely." Regina said, looking at the darkness.

"Do you want to see the camp?"

She smiled. "Real quick then." When she stepped forward, her heel sank into the mud. She waved her hand and within a second she was wearing her riding outfit. But instead of the bright blue jacked, she opted for a dark green one. Her hair, which she preferred free from sticks and leaves, had been braided.

"You've never looked more attractive." Robin said.

"Ugh." She sighed and waved her hand real quick so he too looked like he belonged, in his green Robin Hood outfit.

He hugged her. "Thank you." And with that they started walking. Soon Regina found herself annoyed and with another wave of her hand, her beige pants was replaced by a black leather one. "Cold" She explained. Soon she realized it would take more than the hour she promised Snow, the walk alone took more than an hour, but she figured they should just deal with it. When the gate came in sigh she muttered a 'thank-god'.

"Wim!" Robin called. "Are you there?"

"Robin?" A thick english voice said. "Is that really you mate?"

"Aye!" He yelled back. The gates slowly opened. A young man with a tip-tilted nose squeezed his way through the small opening and ran towards the outlaw. The man, more a boy really, he couldn't be more than seventeen years old, was wearing a green sweater that was clearly to big for him and he had cute, little red hat on. When he got closer, Regina detected a small bell. Before he had gotten to Robin, another boy ran from the gate. He was a bit shorter and thicker but ran just as fast. He also had a red cap on his head. When they reached Robin they almost threw him to the ground.

The boy with the tip-tilted nose was the first to speak. "Robin, you twonk, you got yourself killed, did ya?"

"No, Wim, long story, I'll explain it around the fire this evening."

"Aye, but who's this lovely lady?" The shorter said, taking of his cap, revealing a mop of blonde hair, and bowed.

Robin took her hand. "This is Regina. We're together." He motioned to one boy. "Regina, this is Pim." He motioned to the other. "This is Wim."

"Are you brothers?" She asked politely.

"No m'aam." Pim said. "Wim is a nickname because his name sounds odd in this language. His real name is Wipneus."

Regina smiled kindly, slightly surprising Robin. "So where are you from then?"

"A small kingdom, all the way to the north." Pim said.

Wim shoved the boy. "Aye, small maybe, but not poor and powerless."

"What's it called?"

"The Hague." The boys said. "It's where Pim and I met, we went on an adventure and we couldn't find our way home. We just kept walking, for years, and then one day we met Robin and the Merry Men and they took us in, gave us food and clothes. Robin taught us how to speak english and he gave us a map and directions on how to get home. But then we didn't want to go home anymore. Because we were home already. A great year later, we fell ill and together with a dozen others, we died."

"Your deaths were a great loss."

The boys smiled. "Don't morn us anymore. We're happy here. Come on, come in." They both took one of their hands and pulled them to follow inside. "Everyone will be so glad to see you!" Wim said. "We've missed you, Robin, but we all hoped not to see your for a long, long time."

Once inside the gates, Regina was amazed. The camp was as pretty big, almost a small village. The tents were on the outside and there must've been over ten dozen of them. There were still some trees, but they had small bridges between them and if you walked from tree to tree you could get up onto the wall. On the left side there was a space clearly meant for cooking and in the center there was a big pit with burned wood in it. Surrounding it were logs and rugs and small, thin pillows. There was one big cabin, Robin explained was a place for meetings and schooling. There was another, slightly smaller cabin and this was the only one inhabited by people. Because he was the leader of the Merry Men, he'd gotten the wooden cabin opposed to a tent. Robin himself preferred a tent but because nobody else could stay there without arguments, he took it. It had three rooms, one had a big bed in it, but not much else could fit in there, the second had been Rolands bedroom and it had been a small storage space because the boy much preferred playing outside. The third had a table with three chairs. Robin used it to draw up plans for raids and robberies before he showed them to his allies. The cabin wasn't used much. Most of the time everyone was outside. They ate all their meals together, they cooked and hunted and robbed together. The tents were just for sleeping.

Regina was amazed. "Robin, this is..."

"Brilliant, right?"

"That only begins to cover it. When I come back, I'd love to see the whole place." She smiled. "If that's okay with Marian." She added quickly.

He smiled too, still proud of his home. "You're sure you don't want to meet her now?"

"I'm sure." She squeezed his hand. "Good luck."

"You too." They kissed, but it was more a peck from her side because she was gone in a cloud of smoke.

"Magic!" Pim yelled. The other fallen Merry Men had gathered to see their not-yet-fallen leader. They had been surprised to see another woman on his arm. But now they were mortified. "Witch!" One of them yelled out. And that was the begin of a lot of commotion.

Robin put his fingers between his lips and let out a loud whistle. "Listen up!" The familiar voice of their leader brought them to silence once more. "Yes, she is a practitioner of magic, but she's not evil. You need not fear her. She's a kind and caring woman and she's wonderful with my son. Please do not judge her because of her ability." The men still looked unsure and the women had big and frightful eyes but nobody voiced their opinions about witches. "Is Marian here?" He asked.

A long, thin boy stepped forward. "She's out by the river, washing with Malbeth and Jolijn."

"Thank you, Tom." He said.

* * *

"Regina, finally." Snow sighed. "You should've been here an hour ago."

"Sorry." She said. "The walk just took so long."

David shrugged. "It's fine. We entertained ourselves."

"Gross."

"No!" Snow snapped at David. "That's... We did..."

Regina shook her head and grabbed both their wrists. "I really don't want to hear it." A second later they were standing in front of the small farm David grew up in. There were a few sheep freely grazing about and the grass surrounding them had never been higher. There hung a deliciously sweet smell in the air.

"Apple pie." Regina deducted. As if on cue, her stomach started growling.

The door opened and a middle-aged woman came storming out. She ran towards her son first and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She hugged him for a good minute before letting one arm go and grabbing Snow for a group hug. After a content sigh, she finally let go. She turned her attention to Regina and looked her up and down. "I've heard so many stories." She said. "You look a bit different than I had imagined, but you're still beautiful."

"Thank you?" Regina said, with an awkward smile.

Ruth then moved towards Regina and hugged her too. Regina, stiff as a board with eyes the size of saucers, looked at David for help.

"Mom?" David asked, baffled. "What are you doing?"

Ruth let go of Regina for a second, but kept holding her hand.. "Hugging my granddaughter of course."

"She's not your granddaughter."

Ruth dropped Regina's hand. Regina was still too shocked to move. "But I... The travelers, they told me about the curse and about Emma and how she's older than Snow and you because of it." She looked at Regina once more. "I just figured... Since you were together..."

"It's okay mom, Emma is with her son and the father of her son, she'll be by shortly."

Ruth nodded. "Alright. Then who is this?"

"Regina is my mother-in-law." David said quickly.

Regina, finally breathing again, extended her hand. "I'm Regina."

"Ruth." She said, and shook her hand. "Would you care for some dinner."

Regina shook her head. "No thank you, m'aam. I should get going." She spun towards David. "I'll see you in four days, okay?" He nodded. "Oh and:" She flicked her hands and the modern-day clothes the Charmings were wearing changed into the more comfortable Enchanted Forrest clothing they were familiar with. Snow looked at her new booths and David at his beloved sword. When they looked up, Regina had vanished.

"She's a witch." Ruth concluded and David nodded. "Is that why she looks so young?"

Snow shook her head. "She is my stepmother."

"Ah." Ruth said. "She seems nice."

"She can be." Snow said. "Sometimes."

"She cares." David added.

"Well." Ruth said. "I do too. Now come in and tell me all about Emma and this grandson I have apparently."

* * *

Regina re-appeared in front of a small, dilapidated house. Daniel had described it to her many times. His grandfather lived there. His father had died in war and his mother had fallen ill and died. His grandfather had been a kind and caring man, Regina herself had met once upon a time. He'd taken care of the horses before he'd taught Daniel. When Daniel was eighteen and she sixteen, the old man had died. Daniel had to sell the house for a low profit and bought a small room closer to the mansion. She'd been there once. She knew Daniel hated that room. He'd loved the house though. Regina knocked on the wooden door and a minute later an older man answered. He squinted.

"Regina?" He asked.

"Yes."

The man nodded. "I feared you were cora."

"No, sir. Is Daniel here?"

He nodded with a kind smile. "He's in the fields with Rocinante."

 **Authors note:**

 **I'm really unsure where I'm going with this, but I don't want it to be a long story. Maybe two chapters, three at most. I like flashbacks and different storylines but like, Regina is the main character.**

 **If you have any fun things I should add, I'm really open to it. Pls help.**


End file.
